Safety apparatus for railway crossings



2 SheetS -Sheefc 1 1 M MWN MM II Wbw \WVI mm f w A W am, Q r an N H m 33 6E mm 1. f \n pm 3 Q N Wm w M Z w g h W ih WM Y L L. R. HILL SAFETY APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY'CROSSINGSv Filed March 27', 1923 March 25 1924.

. March 25 1924.

L. R; HILL SAFETY APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY 91365511468 Filed March 27. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

I wenfor: LUThQT Hall,

Patented Mar. 25, 192.4.

v aze LUTHER R. HILL, OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO.

SAFETY APPARATUS FOR. RAILWAY CROSSINGS.

Application filed March 27, 1923.

To all 'whomz't may concern.

Be it known that T, Lirrnan R. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at 528 S. Cascade Avenue, in the city of Colorado Springs, in the county of El Paso and'State of Colorado, have invented a new and use-- ful Safety Apparatus for Railway Crossings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway crossings where the danger to trafiic crossing the railway is from trains on the railway surprising pedestrians and carriage and automotive vehicles as well as cattle on the crossing; and consists principally of gates automatically closed on the approach of a train and automatically opened as the train passes by; and the objects of my invention are principally to provide automatic means of preventing collisions on crossings; second to provide a signaling'apparatus to indicate in daylight and darkness the approach of a train to a crossing; third, to provide gates on both sides of a railway crossing and automatically operated by the approaching train; fourth, to provide white light signals on gate posts at the crossing to indicate the safety of crossing and to provide red light signals on said posts on the near approach of a train and said lights automatically operated by the moving train. V

I attain these objects by means of the mechanism and apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of the outline of the gate, railway, trip appliance and cow catcher; Fig. 2 is a detailed elevation of part of the trip appliance A; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the trip appliance A; Fig. 4 is a detailed elevation of the trip appliance B; Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the brace 6 and the arch 8 and the plate 21 of the trip appliance A; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective of part of the mechanism of the trigger in the trip appliance A; Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of part of the apparatus showing the positions of the pulleys and cables; Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic plan of the position of the trip appliance B; Fig. 9 is an elevation in detail of part of one Serial No. 627,972.

of the gates shown open; and Fig. 10 is a detailed elevation of part of one of the gates shown closed across the crossing.

Similar numerals and letters and characters represent similar parts throughout the several views- The principal parts 'of my invention are represented by the trip appliance A for closing the gates, the trip appliance B for opening the gates, the gates G, and the cow 5 catcher C, with the connections operating the gates G.

When the cow catcher C going in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, strikes the trigger 1, it pivots the trigger lever 3 at its pivot 4 and forces its lower end at the link pivot 13 toward the tie 41 and thus pulls the link 14, the spring 15, the link 18, the top of the rocking arm 17, and'the pull rod 23, all, away from the direction of the trip appliance B. This pulls the bolt 28 and its lever 29 and the rod 24 which is connected to the lever 29 by the bolt 31, under the catch mechanism and draws the inclined catch block 38, which is rigidly secured to the rod 24, under the catch head 37 so that the catch head is forced down past the end 39 of catch block 38 and the catch 40 engages the end 39 of catch block 38 where it is held in place by the upward tendency of the spring 32 attached to the end of the catch lever 33. The rod 24 thus pulled, pulls on the attached'cables 63, 63, 63, 63, shown in Figs. 7, 9, andlO, and draws down the gate bars 56 against. the weight 59 which slightly over balances the weight of the bar 56.

There is usually a. distance of about seven hundred feet between the triggers 1 and 2', Fig. 1, and when the cow catcher C strikes the trigger 2, Figs. 1 and 4, it pivots it at 34: and throws down the depression arm 35 thus raising the catch head 37 which is integral with the catch lever 33 which is pivoted at 36, thus releasing the inclined catch block 38 and the rod 24 and the cables 63' and allowing the bars 56 to rise by the extra weight of 59. i

The gate closing trips A and the gate releasing trips B have the frame arches 7,

8 and 9 secured to the top of the common ties 41 and 4:2 and braced by means of the diagonal braces 5 and 6 in A and brace 25 in B, the mate which would be 26, is not shown in the detail. The object of the spring betwgen the links let and 18 is to cushion the quick jerk on the trigger 1 when struck by the train.

lVhen the train travels in the direction reverse to the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, it pushes the top of trigger 2 against the return spring 27 which replaces it to the normal. position shown in Fig. 4, and when the train strikes the trigger 1, shown in Fig. 2, it pushes the top of it to the right against the spring 10 which immediately returns it to its normal position as shown in Fig. 2. The diagonal braces 5 and 6 are secured by means of integral angle lugs 20, at their top ends to the arches 7 and 8 in A and at their bottom'ends to a metal floor plate 21 in A and 22 in B, upon which the diagonal brace 25, in B, is attached though not so shown. The pull rod 23 shown in Fig. 3, is secured to the pivot bolt 19 designated in Fig. 2.

In the figures, the arrows indicate the direction the train would go to close the gates by contact with the triggers l and to release the gates at the triggers 2.

I have designated the railway rails at A by s3 and 44i and at B by 45 for distinctive reference. 7

The pulleys 52 and 53 shown in Fig. 7

may be encased to protect them from snow or other intrusion, and the pulleys 54. at the base of the gate posts 58 may also be encased if desired; and the rods 23 and 24' and the cables 63 may be run through tubings for protection. The diagrammatic figures show the exposed parts so as to clearly illustrate the principles of my invention.

At the top, 48, of each gate post is a white light, 60, which shows white while the gates are open for traffic over the crossing 55, but when the gate bars 56 are drawn down, as shown in Fig. 10, a frame 62, having a window with a red glass 61 is raised across the view of the white light 60. so as to exhibit the usual danger sign of a red light.

A red light or other appendage may be suspended from the end 47 of the gate bar 56, or at its weight end 57 to which is secured the weight 59.

The fastening of the cable'63 to the gate bar 56 at 49 maybe by a spring, if desired to overcome the jerk of the cable. The diagonal braces 5, 6, and 25 may be secured to their respective arches as illustrated in Fig. 5 at 50 and '51. The supporting pivot 64 for the gate bars 56 are not shown with any special mechanical construction as I wish to show only the principle and the same with the concrete orground 65 into which the posts are imbedded.

While the inclined catch block in Fig. 4, represents out one catch it represents the principle of construction, but I claim the right to have a multiplicity of catches thereon so as to catch the catch 40, so as to hold the locking rod 24- at various positions as desired.

The adding of appendages to said gate bars 56 to hinder or facilitate the passage of children or poultry or cattle, is not shown, but may be added as required.

Th shown parts of the mechanism of transmission of force from the trigger 1 to the gates 56 are not shown housed, but the rods and cables may be run through tubes and the pulleys and trip mechanisms A,and B, may be housed when required, but no claim of novelty is claimed for housing.

Having thus described my invention I claim- 1. in a safety apparatusfor railway crossings having automatically operated "gates and an actuating trip apparatus operated by contact with the approaching train, the combination of a release and gate opening mechanism comprising a frame secured to the ties near the crossing, a locking appliance consisting of a rod and cable. connection with said gates, an inclined catch piece secured to said rod, a hooked catch lever above said catch piece and provided to engage it' as the gates are pulled shut by said rodand cable and hold said rod from releasing, and a tripping trigger'provided to be engaged by the passing cow catcher of the locomotive and to release said catch lever from said catch piece, for the purposes specified.

2. Ina safety appliance for railway crossings using gate bars that are lifted from the crossing to open it and are dropped down across it to close it on the near approach of a train, and having counter weights on stub bars integral with said gate bars and on opposite sides of the pivotal support of same; the combination of a gate-closing trip appliance situate in the road of a near approaching train and comprising a frame secured to the ties about six hundred feet fromthe cross ing, a trigger lever suspended in said frame, a trigger member pivoted at itslower'end to the lhwer end of said lever and extending I the opposite ends of pivoted bars, and hav- 7 ing means for closing down said gate bars by contact with a near approaching train, the combination of a gate-closing trip appliance about'six hundred feet from the crossing and in the path of the train, and a gate-releasing trigger appliance a few feet from said crossing, a draw rod connecting the mechanism in said trip appliance with said trigger appliance, a locking rod connecting said draw rod and said trigger appliance with cables passing over guiding sheave pulleys and attached at their ends to the bars on said gates for closing them against said weights, said trip appliance comprising a frame supported on the crossties between the rails in the course of the train, a trip lever suspended pivotally at its top end from near the top of said frame, an auxiliary trigger lever pivotally connected at its lower end to the lower end of said trip lever, a spring secured to the pivot bolt at top of the trip lever and to the opposite Side of said trigger lever and provided to force the latter against the side of said pivot bolt as an abutment, said trigger lever extending far enough above the rails of the track to be engaged by the cow catcher of -a passing engine but not high enough to be engaged by other parts of the train; and rod and spring means connecting said trip lever at its bottom end with said draw rod, for the purposes specified.

4. In a safety apparatus of the class described for railway crossings, the combination of pivotally suspended drop bars provided to be lifted from the roadway by counter weights and to be pulled down across the road way by cables and rods from the motive power of a near approaching train, a coil spring in the direct train of the transmission of the pull on said cables and rods and provided to reduce the sudden jerk of the striking of the train on an upright lever for transmitting force to said rods and cables, mechanical appliance for transmitting I the force from said' upright lever to said transmission train of rods and cables, ratchet means for holding said rods and cables drawn taut to hold down said drop bars, guide pulleys provided to hold said rods and cables in place for the said transmission of force, and a trip mechanism near said crossing provided to release said ratchet means, substantially as set forth.

LUTHER R. HILL. Witnesses:

JOHN F. MULLANEY, MARGARET A. BRENNAN. 

